Guestbook

This is a space for you to leave comments if you've read Between Two Thorns – or the stories – and want to say hello and maybe share your thoughts. If you've been kind enough to write a review, do leave a link in your comment.

You may have gathered elsewhere that I have a thing about spoilers (in Gollum voice: hates them I do) so there's a plugin installed enabling you to hide anything that might spoil the book for someone who has come here to say something about the stories. All you need to do is type this [ spoiler ]Put your spoiler in here[ /spoiler ] (with no gaps between the brackets) and it will hide it but still be easy to read with a click. If this freaks you out, don't worry, I'll be moderating the comments anyway!

I just finished "Between Two Thorns", and I cannot wait to read the next one! Wonderful story, and I was left hanging of so many cliffs, the suspense might kill me! I hope the second book is on its way soon!

Just want to say, I purchased The Split Worlds:Between Two Thorns a few days ago, and finished it yesterday. It was exceptionally enjoyable read, and the complexity and depth of the world you have created is magnificent. I'm hoping for a sequel, but in the meantime I'm working my way through all the fantastic short stories.

I just read your new book, Between Two Thorns. I loved it !! What an interesting and rich world that you put the setting in. It was very cool.

I thought I would give you some critique of the cover. I didn't like the cover (understand that I am an American). It looked rather English to me (yes, I know you are English). With such great characters and imagery as was in the book, the cover does not do it justice. BUT, I will read the next one regardless of my thoughts on the cover. GREAT Job.

I've just finished reading Any Other Name, and I am blow away!!!!! So glad I came across Split Worlds. Any Other Name is charming, shocking, and very well crafted. I enjoyed reading Any Other Name and am looking forward to reading more about Cathy, Will, Max, and Sam. Will be posting a review soon on my blog :D

God bless your absolutely amazing imagination! I read a review of 'Between Two Thorns' and decided to give it a go…

Well I'm so glad I did, I mean I absolutely could not put the book down and finished it within a few days. Its the most engaging and interesting (not to mention weird lol) piece of fiction I've read in ages!

And I'm so relieved the next book in the series is out in just over a month, I thought I was going to have to wait at least a year to get myself immersed in this bizarre universe again.

I've just finished reading between two thorns which was a fantastic book, i am looking forward to the next book. As one who lives near Bath I could picture the buildings in my mind which made the story even better, many thanks to you for writing an excellent series.

I just finished Between Two Thorns and Any Other Name, one after the other these past two days. They have captured my heart. I purchased Any Other Name first, became frustrated when I realized my mistake. Upon realization I quickly walked back out of my house back to the bookstore. Thank god. Waiting the next few months for the release of the 3rd book will test my patience. Many cups of tea will be consumed in the interim. I love the books and will have to just wait for more!!!

Brilliant, couldn't put it down. Takes a great writer to capture a reader in that way and make you desperate to learn more about the lives of her characters and the world(s) they live in. Can't wait to read "Any other name".

Hi I read a short (round up) review of 'Between Two Thorns' in the Guardian, see http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/may/08/science-fiction-review-roundup-brown and managed to get it from my library (thank God for the library!). It was WONDERFUL, so complex, and in particular love the character of Cathy. Loved it so much bought 'Any Other Name' ! and loved it too, though it was a wee bit tricky to pick up on the story line (the library copy of book one having been returned!). Good luck and hoping part 3 comes out very soon! cheers, Kate

Somewhere in Between Two Thorns it says Cathy has nice eyes but mousey hair. Josh also preferred his girlfriends' minds over looks. It seems pretty obvious that Sam has the serious hots for her, though. Is Cathy really as hideous to look at her family and acquaintances in the Nether make out?

I was wondering when someone would ask this, and I'm glad you have. Cathy is treated very poorly in the Nether and judged to be plain and ugly by some, but in the Nether the 'average' woman is very beautiful. It's a bit like a normal person in Hollywood – when you watch TV and films it's easy to forget that most of the people on the screen are extraordinarily attractive! I see Cathy as just average. Nothing special, but not as ugly as she seems to be in the Nether. She isn't beautiful, just normal. I wish more female heroines on TV and in film could just look normal.

Ok I love these books!! (I've been reading the novels released in paperback) now I know it saws there at 54 stories in this series but how many books total does that eventually equal out to be? I really love this series as I'm sure you an tell and I just don't want it to end at 3 books!! I love the worlds you have created in this series, as well as the characters which I am very much attached to. :) ill jut out it simply and say your books are MAGICAL! Keep them coming and we will keep on reading!!

Hi Lulu, Sorry it took me a while to reply – the notifications stopped! The 54 stories are short stories, so aren't really comparable to novels. If you were to gather them up into a collection though, it would be about half the length of one novel. Thanks for your kind words!

Hello Emma! I accidentally came across the first in the split worlds series in a book shop at the beginning of the year and I immediately became addicted. Cathy is such a fantastic character. I have become somewhat fed up by the heroines that consume YA and fantasy literature of late. They all seem so similar, little pretty girls that are a bit awkward and constantly require validation! Cathy is a true heroine she isn't obsessed or defined by the male characters around her and unlike many female characters she has a sense of humour! She is a real treat as are so many of the characters you have created. I do have to say though I have just finished All is Fair and I am angry with you for killing a particular character that was a favourite of mine.

Please please please could you tell me how many novels for the spilt worlds your planning on writing and when can I expect the next novel release in the UK?

Like I said you have made me an addict and I need the next novel immediately!!!

Well, there are two more novels I would like to write but there are no plans – yet – regarding release dates etc. The best thing to do is subscribe to the newsletter at the top as the people subscribed to that will be the first to know!

I have just finished the whole split worlds trilogy. It is years since I have found a set of books that I have enjoyed as much. Am so glad I came to them once they had all been written, so that I didn't have to wait for the next one.

It reminded me of reading Diana Wynne Jones – if you don't know her that is a massive compliment.

I picked up the first split worlds book in a bookshop and after reading a couple of pages, I couldn't put it down, I spent the next two days gripped in an amazing story not wanting it to end, unable to wait until I could return to the bookshop I downloaded the next on iBooks, again an amazing captivating story , well done I loved them, I'm off to the bookshop tomorrow to get number three, please keep them coming, in the meantime I've signed up to the weekly stories , I cannot recommend them enough- brilliantly imaginative and brilliantly written- thank you x

I was born in a town near Bath so I was a little bit wary of Bath landmarks being a bit gimmicky. Also, i got the first ebook on special offer and i think this always makes me expect some flaw. Not the case at all! Such satisfying reads, a lovely mix of readability and substance. The settings enriched the books without being over played. The characters were all likable* even the 'bad guys' (*sorry for lame discription, but I've read a few books lately where the characters left me cold or irritated) so I felt really involved with every sub-storyline. And now I'm working through your short stories as book 3 left me hanging! Will there be a book 4?

I expected to not like this book at all. But it sucked me in. It is a complex, beautiful world with intense characters. Rarely do you find multiple points of view stories where every PoV is equally interesting, but I was riveted the entire read though. In fact, I read all three books in about a week.

How many readers do you need before you can get the publisher to get going with books four and five? The story needs to be told as soon as possible.

I pretty much gulped down the three books that have been published so far. I loved them, and neet to blog about them (but I'm lagging). Very much looking forward to reading book four, wheneever it gets published…

Just want to say thank you for the wonderful series, The Split Worlds, I have so enjoyed reading them! Such a new way to view the world of magic. Unlike some of the other readers, I was able to read them all within a few weeks of each other but, truly wonder if you will write a fourth, please! They are a fabulous way to escape to another world!

Hi Emma! I received Planetfall as a Christmas present last year, and was captivated. I was happy to learn subsequently about your Split World series and have enjoyed the first three books immensely. Book 4 is currently on its way. I can't wait to start in on it!

I used to work at Barnes and Noble and I would see the books there all the time, never quite buying them because I don't have time for paper books these days. Finally, I had stacked up a few credits with Audible and decided to buy all three. It occurred to me that this might be foolish, what if I didn't like them, despite how much I loved everything about the blurbs. Lucky me, I just finished Between Two Thorns and still have two more audiobooks to obsess over until the fourth is released next week.

I do not recall how I stumbled across your work. I began with Planetfall, and fell in love with the characters. I needed more and to my surprise, a whole world exists. I must admit, I splurged. I spent all but one of my Audible credits to hear this world told to me by you. I read the physical books as well, but the way you narrated the books, brings them to life even more.

I am captivated by Cathy! She is so strong and courageous in the face of so many real challenges in her fantastical life. I found Will charming, selfish and entitled. It’s so hard to dislike him. Sometimes the ‘bad guy’ in our lives are simply good people who do bad things. I understood the feeling Cathy had when she had to leave him. She was heartbroken and scared and mourning the loss of the person she believed him to be. I know that feeling. It’s been years since my personal experience, but I remember and am still haunted. Even at the end of the series when Cathy is safest, she is still looking over her shoulder, struggling with the scars and anxiety her past has left on her soul.

The characters were so well rounded and dynamic. I fell in love with all of them. I just want to say thank you for this story and thank you for this world. I have already read each book twice, and I know the books will be stories that I visit again and again. Thank you for making such a strong female character with brains and goals and independence.